The Early Days of a Better Nation

Thursday, October 28, 2004


The Halflings

The discovery of another human species that may have lived as recently as 12 000 years ago is thrilling and delightful. It touches us in that part of of our minds where we fill the aching gap between us and the rest of nature with dwarfs and giants, elves and hobbits. Real little people! Three feet tall! Wow! It doesn't turn anthropology or the story of human evolution on its head, a piece of science-correspondent gabble I think I heard during my goggle-eyed, gobsmacked, yelping look at yesterday evening's TV news. The best guess at the moment is that the little people had larger ancestors. That an island population of Homo erectus should evolve to a small size is [or should have been] no great surprise. On islands, including Flores, dwarf forms of large animals and giant forms of small ones are common. But I know of not even a science-fictional speculation that it could somewhere have happened to humans. That a brain a quarter the size of ours could sustain human consciousness - tool-making, fire, probably language - certainly is food for thought, and should perhaps make us reconsider the capacities of our remoter relatives.

What's really wonderful is that another human species, so different from our own, should exist so recently. 12 000 years ago is like yesterday. We only just missed each other. At some ancient stratum of our minds, we miss them still. To hope that their living descendants may yet be found is probably forlorn, but only human.
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Sunday, October 24, 2004
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Friday, October 15, 2004


Battlestar Dialectica

Free advertising, or a friendly note to SF/fantasy readers in the northerly parts of the UK:

Tuesday 19th October at 6.30pm China Mieville, author of King Rat, Perdido Street Station and The Scar will be reading from his new novel IRON COUNCIL and taking questions from the audience at Waterstones, 153-157 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3EW. Tickets free from store

Ditto for Wednesday 20th October at 7pm at Borders, 94-96 Briggate, Leeds LS1. Free event

Likewise Thursday 21st October at 6.30pm at Waterstones 24-26 High Street, Birmingham B4. Tickets £3 redeemable against purchase of the book

STOP PRESS The Glasgow event is going ahead as planned, but the Leeds and Birmingham ones have been cancelled.
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Saturday, October 09, 2004


Calton Hill

My quoting a chunk of 'Caledonia' in this post last night was probably sentimental as well as illegal, but on the day the Queen opens the Scottish Parliament I'm happy to endorse the SSP's stand for the Republic.
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